The Bane of My Marital Existance
When I was about sixteen years old, I told my mom that I wanted one of those 1940’s vanities for my bedroom. You know the ones with the big mirrors and the dropped down center table top? The kind that you saw in all the old war movies that the soldier’s girlfriends had in their bedrooms with pictures of their boyfriends taped to the mirror? Do you know what I’m talking about? Sometimes they would stream scarves romatically across the top of the mirrors and I just thought they were the prettiest pieces of furniture ever.
My mother, being the economical, crafty person that she is, began to scour thrift stores in our town looking for one that she could restore for me. She found one for $50 in the backroom of a Salvation Army and she spent several months refinishing the wood, replacing the handles and knobs, and putting a new piece of mirror on the four five foot by five foot back. Then she found blue toile fabric that matched my bedroom and recovered the little stool.
For years, this sat in my bedroom at home and when I went away to college, it went with me. I loved this vanity.
When I got married and we moved from Florida to Connecticut, Chris first began grumbling about the piece of sacred furniture. It was heavy. It was big. And in our tiny little apartment bedroom, it just wouldn’t fit. So, we decided to keep it at my parent’s house and then when we moved somewhere with more room, we’d get it back.
Several years later, we bought our house in Connecticut and – lo and behold! – I had TWO whole separate guest bedrooms! So, I began to bug Chris about getting my vanity back. And he began to grumble a little louder about the piece of sacred furniture. It was too heavy to move from Florida to Connecticut. It was old. It needed a lot of repairs. Yadda, yadda, yadda…
In the meantime, I should point out, Chris had bought an incredibly heavy SLATE pool table on eBay, gathered friends and driven across the state of Connecticut to pick it up and move it to our house, and then spent all this money and time recovering said pool table with new bumpers, new felt, and new wood railings.
And yet, my little vanity was too much of a project.
I began to bug him more. And more. And more. Until finally, he gave in and made arrangements with my Dad for the vanity to be moved up to Connecticut.
Sadly (and rather conveniently for Chris, might I add…) on the drive up from Florida, the five foot mirror that sits above the vanity was shattered. Which meant when my sacred vanity finally arrived, it was pushed into a closet somewhere and it never saw the light of day again. Just another home project that was never finished.
In the meantime, I should point out, Chris built himself an entire Man Cave, complete with a ping pong table that lifted on an elaborate pulley system into the ceiling and two small bars that he built himself for when his friends came over to drink beer in MY garage.
When we decided to move back to Florida, we had a big yard sale to get rid of anything extra we had around the house that we didn’t want to have to haul across the county.
And that’s when Chris made his move. The bastard.
After months of saying the vanity was too heavy for him to move out of the closet where he had stored it, he suddenly had the strength of ten men as he began to slide the vanity into the yard sale pile.
“What are you DOING?!?!” I shrieked.
“It’s heavy. It’s broken. It’s expensive to repair. And we don’t have any need for this,” he said.
“But it’s a family HEIRLOOM!”
“It is not! It’s a piece of junk from a thrift store and we need to get rid of it.”
“But I need to pass it along to my children!” I insisted.
“Bean’s not going to want that junky thing,” Chris argued.
“But what if I have a girl? She might want it. And we might one day sit at it together on her wedding day, adjusting her veil and retouching her make up and….”
“FINE. Whatever,” Chris interrupted. “We’ll keep it for TWO YEARS, but if it has no use after that, then I’m getting rid of it.”
And THAT is reason #437 why I’m happy I’m having a girl.
37 Comments
Ashley
Haha, yay Katie! 🙂 So glad you get to keep it. It’s truly beautiful, and it will mean something to your daughter one day (I hope). You can tell her the story and she may be inspired to fight with her future husband for the belongings that are important to her!
Kara
Score one for Katie (and your daughter:)! I have this beautiful antique armoire that my husband complains about ALL.THE.TIME. It’s staying. End of story.
Renee
Ha ha, that is awesome! My husband is always trying to get of my old stuff, like the old dresser my dad restored for me. No way, dude. It stays!
Alaina
Ha! That is a good reason! I’m behind you on that one…I’d want to keep it, too!
Kate @ Love and Kate
Ha ha ha! LOVE this story. Hilarious. Now I kind of feel bad for my poor vanity, which I nowhere near love(d) as much as you do yours. Hopefully, my vanity doesn’t realize she got a crap mom.
Jen C
Way to play the girl card! He has his man cave, at least let you have your own little space where you can put your vanity. Geez Chris… 🙂
Lindsay (YoungMarrdd!iedMom)
Well played, New Guy (still New Guy or is there a new name, post-ultrasound?). Score one for the girls’ team!
Lee Ann
When I was 16, I had a vanity JUST LIKE THIS! It was my grandmother’s at one time, and my aquarium sat in front of the mirror. I’ll give Chris this: It was heavy! But that’s no reason to get rid of a family heirloom!
Casey
Sweet! Well done, Katie.
Stephanie @ Our Marriage Adventure
I love that you are having a girl. I am also now eternally grateful my hubbie likes antiques as much as I do.
Kelly H.
Score!
Brittany
How dare he even THINK about getting rid of something like that! lol I completely understand and soooo jealous that you found such an amazing piece of furniture..haha Your baby girl will really appreciate that you fought for “her” and the vanity!
Life of a Doctor's Wife
Such a cute story!! I love those old vanities too. They are so elegant and reminiscent of days of yore.
Aimee
My sister inherited that same exact table (with a different finish, probably due to you mom’s wonderful work)! It is heavy! I can say that with authority, since I had to help her get it out of her bedroom when she went to college 🙂 It is a beautiful piece of furniture!
Katy's Neverending Story
Score for Team Female! I completely understand as my beautiful vanity is living at my mothers because it’s “too much trouble” to haul it to NYC
Sarah H.
That’s awesome!!
Jody
SCORE! Isn’t it funny how their stuff is precious (didn’t he just post recently about his beer glasses?) and worth the effort, but ours is junk? Not funny ha-ha, but funny ‘wth’. 😉
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
I LOVE the vanity. Keep it, fix it, treasure it!
Kat @ Living Like the Kings
hehe That’s awesome. I want one of these too! But there is definitely no room for it in our tiny house.
Casper
That is wonderful! Glad you got to hang on to it for your little girl :). Didn’t Chris just write a post about girls trying to throw out guys stuff. When the entire time he was trying to get rid of your stuff. hmm…
molly
Bwhaaaaaa! You always make me laugh, Katie.
And damn it. Why’d ya have to go and talk about sitting there with your daughter and adjusting her wedding veil. I have two boys and by my husband’s standpoint, we’re done. I super duper love being a boy mom. But I want that moment too!
Ginger
HA! I have a vanity that IS a family heirloom (my greatgrandfather bought it for my greatgrandmother as a wedding gift in 1916), and my husband STILL tries to get me to get rid of it. I don’t care if I never have a girl, I’m keeping that thing! Hold strong Katie, hold strong!
Katie N.
This post made me day. I rebuttle to Chris’s man post from the other day! 🙂
Shelley
GREAT story!! And now you’ll have another one to tell her – how her Dad almost got rid of her vanity!
Keshet Shenkar
A girl! Woohoo! How did I miss that?
Meredith
YAY FOR GIRLS!!!!! For as cute as the Beaner is, The New GAL will be nothin but trouble for Chris when she’s older.
J.J.
I totally have one, too! And have often thought it needed a black and white photo of a handsome man in uniform! If she grows up with the oldie but goodie movies like we did, she’ll love it for sure! xoxo
alison
ha ha love it!!! <3
Mom of 3
In my bedroom growing up I had my mother’s antique vanity. Now it is in my daughter’s room and she loves the fact that it has been in the family so long. Some day you may get to sit at your vanity with your granddaughter…how special would that be?
Ashley
Hahahaha this cracked me up! It was all meant to be 🙂 Chris better get ready to have another girl in the house!!!
Tabitha (From Single to Married)
I don’t blame you – I’d hang on to it too – it’s so cool looking!
Katy @ MonsterProof
Hahahah! That’s great! It looks like it would be fantastic fixed up. Totally should be top of the honey-do list!
MistyK
I miss my Vanity like that so, Its currently still at my Moms house along with matching Hope chest. It actully is a family heirloom for me though, been through my Grandparents, my dad ( who added a pendent flag with his High School on it) and now me. Im feeling the urge to go Bring that home ASAP. Now.
jenn hopkins
I say you paint that bad boy with a laquer paint, like pink or green or something fun!!! How great to photograph your baby girl on it 😉
Maggie
I love this! I always wanted a vanity when I was growing up, so you should definitely hang on to that for your little girl. Though it is amazing how strong guys can be when they’re getting ready to throw out something of yours? 🙂
Sarah C. H.
That’s a gorgeous vanity. Don’t give in to him, Katie!!! (And if you ever do, let me know and I’ll come give it a good home.) ;p
Tina
Oh my goodness! I’m so happy for you!! congrats on the baby girl :]